The term “multimedia” appeared in the mainstream computer zeitgeist around 1993, during which time the game MYST was released. This game helped drive sales of CD-ROMs and other multimedia peripherals that, prior to that era, were either deemed unnecessary or were simply too expensive for home computers. Even in the world of desktop computers, sound cards were still considered an option up to that point, and many games continued to allow selection of “PC Speaker” as your sound card until about late 1996.

However, to have a portable computer with a built-in sound card would have been a true extravagance, particularly when the AMS Sound Pro was released in 1994, towards the beginning of the multimedia craze. Because of its built-in sound card, the AMS Sound Pro can be considered one of the earliest “multimedia” laptops.

(Note that, despite the label on the bottom saying “1991”, this laptop was actually manufactured in 1994.)

Not much can be found online about this laptop, however it is common for high-end or custom laptops of the time to be relatively unique (see SAGER 5200PT). However, generally speaking, there were only a few laptops from that era (pre-1995) that had built-in sound, such as the ThinkPad 755CD (which used a MWave Modem to generate sound, a setup so unreliable and terrible to work with that it actually caused a lawsuit), and a few offerings from Compaq.

Specifications

CPU: Intel 486DX4 @ 75 MHz (128KB Cache)
Video: 640×480 10.4″ Color DSTN (not TFT), soft contrast/brightness controls
RAM: 8 MB onboard (proprietary expansion, see pictures)
HDD: 340MB IDE
Mouse: Built-in Trackball
MSRP: $1,850 USD as of 12/19/1995

Pictures